Disavowal
by klutzysunshine
Summary: AU season eight. Piper got pregnant again just before Leo was frozen but clings to denial despite her symptoms because of everything else bearing down on her.


**I don't own Charmed nor will I ever. No copyright infringement intended.**

 **Author's Note:** I still don't understand why they didn't write in Holly's pregnancy in season eight since it was fairly obvious towards the end. It would have made things even angstier. This is my version of events where Piper gets pregnant again before Leo's frozen.

* * *

Piper tried her hardest to ignore it at first because she was so focused on her kids, Leo, and the Ultimate Power that she didn't have time for anything else. It was all she could do to keep holding on and not fall apart. "You don't look so good. Are you sick?" Paige observed.

Piper shook her head. "I'm not sick, Paige. I feel fine," she lied, hoping her sister hadn't picked up on it. She was grateful when Paige moved on to another subject. It wasn't what she feared it could be. Not now. It wasn't possible, not when she had other shit on her mind. So she pushed her worries to the back of her mind and started focusing on a way to get Leo back.

A worried Phoebe cornered her the next day. "Paige told me that something's wrong. Is she right? Are you feeling okay? I can watch the boys for you if you need me to."

Piper rolled her eyes. "I'm fine, Phoebe. Would you and Paige just leave me the fuck alone already? There's nothing the matter with me aside from the fact that I want my husband back. That's all."

Phoebe wanted to call her out on the obvious lie but she didn't want to upset her sister any further either so this was a tough call. She sighed. "Sweetie, if you ever need to talk to me, I'm here, okay?" That was all she could offer if Piper didn't want her help.

"Thanks, Pheebs. That means a lot to me." The baby monitor crackled to life as Chris started crying so Piper rushed upstairs to get him, pushing everything to the back of her mind.

* * *

Another sign that should have hit Piper like a brick went ignored just a week later. Her period hadn't showed up but she waved it off because she was stressed. Of course her period was late. It'd show up soon. She instead turned her focus to Paige and Henry's wedding. "Is she always like this?" Henry asked Paige.

"Not normally. She's been a little manic since Leo." Paige worried that she'd fall apart sooner or later and they wouldn't be able to help her this time around.

"We're keeping an eye on her but she's scaring us a little." Phoebe knew the inevitable fallout was going to be bad and she wasn't looking forward to it at all.

Piper strolled into dining room and grinned at them all. "You two don't have to worry about anything because I have this covered."

She steadfastly refused to think about Leo as she watched Paige and Henry exchange their vows.

* * *

It was when Piper started to gain a little weight that she started to slip a little. "This isn't happening." She was not pregnant. _She was not pregnant_. Not now. So she ignored the voice in the back of her head and went to play with her boys. "Mommy, when Daddy coming home?" a clearly sad Wyatt asked her.

"Soon, baby. He'll be back before you know it. But you know what? Daddy loves you boys so much and I know he misses you too." She blinked back tears and laughed when Chris toddled over her to hand her a toy.

"Mama!" Chris flashed her a smile and then sat down to play with Wyatt's toys, much to his brother's annoyance. He was one of the happiest, sweetest babies she had ever seen and sometimes, it was hard to reconcile this version with his adult self. This timeline was never going to turn out like the other one had. She'd make sure of it.

"Movie?" Wyatt looked at her with hopeful eyes and Piper couldn't tell him no even though the boys' bedtime was rapidly approaching. She sat down to watch with them.

* * *

It was a little harder to ignore the baby quickening but Piper found a way to deny even that. "It's just gas." It had to be. It wasn't tiny kicks that sometimes hit her kidney. There was no way and Piper would stand by it.

Surprisingly, Paige figured it out first and decided to confront Piper about it right before they went to battle Billie and Christy. "You're pregnant again!"

Piper frantically started to shake her head as her heart began pounding. "I am not pregnant. I'm just stressed, Paige. That's all this is. It's been a pretty stressful few months for me."

"It has been a pretty stressful few months for all of us but you don't see us gaining weight. Baby number three's on the way!" Despite the terror that lay ahead of them, this was still exciting news so Paige went to hug her sister but Piper put a hand up to stop her.

She glared at her youngest sister. "Paige, whatever you're thinking, you need to stop. We're stopping Billie and Christy and then getting Leo back. That's all that matters right now."

That's was the moment Paige realized how deep in denial her sister really was and her heart broke. She couldn't even be happy about her pregnancy - or even acknowledge it - because of the turmoil they were all involved in. She bit her cheek to stop herself from congratulating Piper. "Okay." She just hoped Piper kept herself and the baby safe.

That's when something occurred to Piper and she glared at Paige. "Do not breathe a word of this to Phoebe. I mean it, Paige. She'll just endlessly worry about something that isn't happening."

Paige was almost impressed. "Fine, I won't tell her." She decided to keep quiet out of respect to Piper _and_ because it wouldn't be fair to Leo if he found out last for the third time. Hopefully he'd snap her out of this funk once he did return. She said goodbye to her sister and orbed out.

Piper slid to the floor and began to sob, missing her husband even more than usual. She slammed her mind shut and refused to even think about what Paige had said to her.

* * *

After her sisters died in the Ultimate Battle, Piper was determined to bring them back. A returned Leo took one look at his wife after they got to Phoebe's apartment and did a double take. Her abdomen was clearly starting to round but she hadn't mentioned anything about being pregnant yet. He kneeled down and pushed her hair out of her face. "Are you and the baby okay?"

Unfortunately, he didn't get the reaction he intended. Despite her instincts telling her to lean on her husband, she pushed him away. "I'm not pregnant, Leo so drop it. We need to fix this so let's head over to my dad's, okay?"

Leo eyed her, concerned and panicking. "Piper?"

"Leo!" She tapped her foot on the ground and then pushed the Book of Shadows aside. "Let's go."

It wasn't until after everything went according the plan the second time around - and Leo was returned for good - that Piper finally admitted what she had been denying for months - all her walls fell within seconds. Unfortunately, Wyatt and Chris were still around for the meltdown (wanting to stay for a while longer just to talk with their aunts and parents) that ensued. Piper placed a hand on her stomach, her eyes widened, and she looked up at her husband. "I'm pregnant. Holy fuck." She was glad Phoebe was out of the room getting something to eat and therefore couldn't hear her.

"Are you finally accepting it?" Paige questioned.

"I didn't want to believe it because I didn't want to do this without you. I should have at least gone to the doctor but I didn't. I put both of us at risk." Piper looked horrified at herself. What had she done?

Leo pulled his wife in for a hug and kissed the top of her head. "You'll make an appointment as soon as you can but I'm sure you're both safe. You survived the explosion," he pointed out.

The baby kicked and Piper gasped before her breath began hitching in sobs. Her concerned family all eyed her warily. "I'm sorry," she sobbed.

Wyatt and Chris stepped in then. "We can't say much because of future consequences, but our younger sibling is happy and healthy. You didn't do anything wrong, Mom. You didn't do anything wrong," Chris assured her.

"Yeah, it makes for a pretty great story in the future about how Dad got to tell Aunt Phoebe for once," Wyatt chimed in, smiling at their parents.

Leo's eyes lit up. "I get to tell Phoebe!" Off Piper's glare, he shrugged sheepishly.

Phoebe came back in with a snack in her hands. "You get to tell me what?"

Leo looked towards a still crying Piper who nodded at him. "You're going to be an aunt again."

Phoebe's mouth dropped open in shock. "Wait, what?" She had noticed Piper's weight gain but stupidly attributed it to stress.

"I've been in denial all this time. Pretty sure we conceived this baby on our weekend away right before Leo went away." Piper counted back in her head and it was the only thing that made sense. She was about five months along now if her timing was right.

Phoebe hugged them both before lobbing one of her snacks at Chris. "Hey, I didn't tell you to throw it!"

"Why did you just throw food at my son anyway?" Leo glared at his sister-in-law.

"He told me he was hungry before I went into the kitchen. Figured I'd help him out," Phoebe defended herself before ruffling her nephews' hair.

Soon enough, they too departed (after promising Piper to say hi to their sibling) and Piper and Leo were left alone after putting their toddlers to bed. "Can I?" he asked, pointing to her stomach.

She nodded her consent and he lifted her shirt up to touch her expanding stomach. "Hi, baby. It's Daddy." Leo continued to talk to their unborn child about a variety of topics.

Piper went in for an appointment the next day with Leo on time and the ultrasound determined they were in fact, both completely healthy. Although she still felt guilty, it was a great relief to Piper. And several months later, Piper and Leo welcomed their third and last child - Prudence Melinda Halliwell - on August 15th, 2006.

* * *

Nine years later, Piper and Leo had come to adore the chaos that came with three children. "Mommy, Chris stole my stuffed dog!" Melinda complained.

"I did not!"

"Can I just play my game?" Wyatt whined, glaring at his brother and sister.

Leo smirked. "Christopher, give the dog back to your sister. Wyatt, just go into another room if you want to play but make sure they get a chance to play too." He loved these kids but God, they wore him out.

Piper walked in and kissed her husband. "What are you three up to?"

They immediately denied any wrongdoing and went back to what they had been doing before. As soon as Leo sat down, Melinda climbed into his lap. "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you too, Mel."

Life with a nine year old, eleven year old, and a twelve year old wasn't exactly easy but Piper and Leo wouldn't change a thing. They had been through so much during their relationship but nothing had tried to tear them apart in a long time. And for once, they could all relax without worrying about a demon attack or some other crisis. All that heartache had brought them to this moment so despite everything, neither of them would change a thing.


End file.
